Digital Connections
by AspiringWriterGirl
Summary: In a world where the Digimon franchise never existed, twelve teenagers are swept away to another world and given a deadly ultimatum: Save the world or watch everyone they know perish in darkness. Faced with a dying world and a never ending army, they must band together if they have any hope of returning home, but that might be easier said than done Summary:MissAnonymoushp
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own the Digimon, but the characters belong to the moderators and members of the Digital Connections forum – found here forum/Digital-Connections/22352/ and under the "So you want to be a Digidestined?" topic

A/N: I've been working on this first chapter since June, it's undergone multiple rewrites and I apologise to the specific members if they don't like the portrayal of their characters- PM me if you want to discuss how to write your character better

Without much more waiting, I give you, the Digital Connections story!

 **Chapter 01**

Ones and zeros, zeros and ones. Strings of these digits ultimately create the shell for all things living in the Digital World, a world that is both separate and connected to the human world. A single disruption in the digital core creates disturbances in both environments. For the human world, the disturbances cause disasters that can take the form of earthquakes, flash floods and total electrical or solar blackouts. Scientists tend to explain these as natural occurrences and power shortages, though there are a small group of people who know the truth about these events and their connection with the Digital World, and some who are yet to discover it.

September the fifth, that's when the disappearances started. From countries all over the world, including Canada, Malawi, America, England and so many more. Reports about their disappearances always consisted of hazy and weak accounts where the 'victims' were practically "there one minute, and gone the next." Some were sitting in the classroom, at offices working, simply walking down the street, or sleeping when they were taken. A bright white light coincidentally left the authorities with no leads or traces as to the missing children's whereabouts. Children between the ages of thirteen and eighteen

But they were no longer on Earth, they were now in the Digital World. Not that they immediately knew its name. Fortunately, they were safe.

For now.

The first of the missing children was young Texas born Sonja, Sonja Smith. A kind and honest fifteen year old girl with a moody disposition who wishes she was braver than she was. To wake up in a place she had never seen before was not something that Sonja was expecting. As her eyes opened, she was shocked by the trees she could see as if they were the rungs of a ladder, which she thought was odd, until she realised it was because she was lying down on a patch of grass. Dying grass at that. It was sparse, and of a dark moss green colour. Slowing sitting up, the girl observed her surroundings and if it weren't for the dark purple tinted sky looming overhead, she would have thought she had fainted in the school playing fields during a sports lesson. Or something like that.

"Where am I?" Sonja mumbled, rubbing her forehead with the palm of her hand.

"We're in another world- this isn't Earth." A girl with sleek long, dark brown hair was also scanning the area to the side of Sonja. "There's something strange about these trees, and the sky too."

"Yeah…" Sonja replied, unsure whether she should engage in conversation with this total stranger.

"I'm Heather by the way, you just stick with me and it'll be alright." She smiled cheerfully. "Just in case there's something that might get us into a spot of bother…"

Thinking about something that might get them in a spot of trouble worried Sonja and she could feel her chest heating up in that weird way it would do if she got stressed or panicked. Her heart juddered unevenly against her ribcage as evil demon's and horror film villains forced their way into her mind.

Seeing the younger girl's expression, Heather quickly decided to calm her down. "Why don't we do a bit of exploring? I don't know about you, but seeing as we're a little bit in the open, it might be worth us finding somewhere to hide… Like a hollowed out tree or a cave." Heather stood up boldly. "Come on – a-?"

The look on Heather's face prompted Sonja to give her name. "Sonja."

"Sonja – that's a pretty name," Heather replied, walking through the trees ahead of them. "This place is, incredible."

"I don't know about incredible, but it's certainly nice to go on a holiday for once!"

The pair walked through the forest, asking questions back and forth between one another. Instantly, they were getting on well- even if Sonja originally struggled to keep up with Heather's quick paced speed walking.

Occasionally, one of them would hear something, and they would freeze, listening for the sound again, but nothing.

Until one time, where saying it was 'just the wind' was not enough. They heard the sound of twigs being crushed, from behind them. Slowly, the two girls turned around when they heard voices. A boy and a girl's voice.

"Hello?" Heather called out, shuffling towards the cover of a tree. "Sonja- come here!" she whispered, ushering the younger girl over.

"Do you think they are our friends?" Sonja asked curiously, peering around the tree as she crouched beside Heather. "Heather?"

"I don't know…"

"Who's there?" the girl's voice called out to the pair. "I know you're there. Go on Charles, go and see who it is…"

"Me, why don't you?" a male voice snapped in a high pitch.

Sonja peeked further around the tree where she saw two people, a boy and a girl. The girl had light brown hair pulled by into a high ponytail as she clutched a satchel close to her chest like a child holding onto a safety blanket. The boy she was with looked a little older than she was, and also a bit taller, not to mention the outfit he wore was reminiscent of a medieval style, like he indulged in roleplaying.

"They're just kids – like us," Sonja whispered, about to go out and say hello, but Heather placed a fragile hand on the youngster's shoulder.

"Wait, just a little while longer, we don't know about them…"

Sonja whimpered a little in distress. "But what if they can help us get home?"

Heather bit her lips and looked in deep thought. After a moment, she nodded – much to Sonja's delight – and stepped out from behind the tree towards the girl and the boy she had heard referred to as Charles.

"Crikey o' riley! You scared us half to death!" the girl gasped, gripping her satchel tighter. "This is so good, isn't it Charles- I mean, we've found other children. That means that we aren't the only ones here! Yes!" The girl lurched forwards as if to get a closer look at the two other girls. "I'm Kaitlyn but most of my friends just call me Kate or Kat – I don't mind which you use because I'll answer to either one of them!" Before Kate realised it, she had forgotten to take a breath and had to inhale loudly.

Heather laughed softly. "Nice to meet you Kate, I'm Heather. Hi Charles."

"Hi," Charles replied, nodding his head.

"And I'm Sonja," Sonja added, smiling at her new companions. "So what now?"

The four decided to carry on walking. They found themselves walking up a hill, weaving in and out of the trees. The sky had now grown an even darker purple, but all still seemed barren and empty. Not a single bird flew overhead and the only thing to be heard was the whistle of the evening wind rushing through the trees.

Each child was beginning to develop their own theory as to why they were in this strange place.

Kate believed they were in some parallel universe where everything was the reversal of what it was back at home. That's why the place was so dark, why there were no birds flying overhead and also explained the barren land. Where Kate grew up, the landscape was so vibrant and luscious, this new place brought a confusing contrast to the bubbly girl. She watched as Heather and Charles engaged in quiet conversation, laughing every now and again, yet when she tried to join in, she felt like she was being intrusive and took a metaphorical step back.

As they reached the top of the hill, the children's mouths dropped in shock of the vast stretch of land at the base of the hill. The land was a dirt ridden expansion for as far as the eye could see, sandwiched between two mountains that crawled up into the clouds. The whole scape was hills. Miles and miles of hills surrounding the mountains. Wood stumps littered the plain, accompanied by the singed trunks of trees that once stood tall and proud.

"What do you think happened?" Kate whispered, looking at the destruction that lay before them.

"Something's burnt the place… Destroyed it completely…" Charles replied, sounding just as shocked and worried. "But we should carry on going…In case whatever did this comes back."

"Yeah," Sonja said, nodding in agreement with Charles and Heather.

Kate wasn't so sure about this decision. "But what if whatever did this comes after us? What if it's still here?"

"Come on Kate, if we stick together, we'll be safer," Heather said, implying that if they stuck together, then it would be alright. "Kate?" she added as she noticed the other girl was completely frozen to the spot.

"Oh, sorry- I have a tendency of staring off into space every now and again… Just let me know if I do it again."

"Of course, Kate!"

They walked cautiously down the gentle slope of the hill, kicking up loose dirt and pebbles were sent skittering away in all directions. A silence rippled all around them, and the suspense loomed too. It was like the moments in horror films where you know that there is something about to happen, but the anticipation of waiting can be consuming.

A scream. A shrill scream filled the valley as Heather, Sonja, Charles and Kate were navigating their way through the labyrinth of large fallen down trees.

"More people!" Kate yelled before covering her mouth with her hand. "Sorry…"

"It's alright, come on guys, someone's in trouble." Charles vaulted up and over a thick trunk. "Woah…"

Heather and Sonja climbed up onto the same trunk and froze at the sight of the beast that they saw.

"What is that?" Sonja squeaked, holding Heather's arm and hoping for a bit of reassurance. "I've never seen anything like it."

In front of them, hovering above an inverted doom shaped crater, was a pupa shaped purple case. Stemming from this pupa were six black cables that swayed in the wind. Two yellow orbs stared back at the four children as they watched its stillness.

Four beams of light suddenly shone down from the sky and revealed four small rectangular devices on leather cord or chains with a screen that lit up, displaying a short profile and picture of the creature before them.

" _Chrysalimon, the champion form of Kuramon. This Digimon is completely unable to move until it has stored enough energy so will remain stationary for the meantime."_ Voices emanated from the devices in complete unison, staying in total synchronisation throughout.

"So what do we do to it?" Heather asked the device quietly, tapping the screen which had now reverted to a default blank one.

"Look guys, there are more children over there. A girl and two boys." Sonja pointed to the other side of the crater where three children were running away, climbing over the trees and staggering away into the distance. "Hey, wait up!"

"Sonja, hold on," Kate squeaked. "We don't know whether that thing has enough energy or not… We'll find those other kids soon, I promise, but right now, we have to watch out for ourselves."

A click startled the children and one of the black tentacles shot out from the Chrysalimon. Within seconds, it lashed itself around Kate's waist, taking the breath out of her lungs.

"Kate!" the other three shouted, grabbing the cable and pulling on it as the trapped girl twisted and squirmed as she tried to free herself.

Sonja's hands fastened themselves around one of Kate's free hands, holding on tight. The three rings on Sonja's hands dug down into the caught girl's hand, making Kate grimace in pain, but still fight to get free.

"Hold on!" Sonja gritted her teeth, grunting hopelessly as Heather and Charles tugged at the cable.

The dirt at Sonja's feet began to crumble as Kate was pulled in closer by the Chrysalimon. A sharp tug and Sonja's grip slipped, she fell to the ground. Lifting her head up, she watched helplessly as Heather and Charles were thrown back. Then Chrysalimon and Kate shot up into the sky, disappearing out of sight.

"Kate?" Sonja called out. "Kate!" she shouted a little louder. "Heather! Charles!" She rushed over to her companion's sides, helping them up off the ground.

The two dusted themselves down.

"We're not safe here, we have to keep moving," Charles suggested, shaking the dirt from his hair. "Are you two alright?"

"Yeah, we're fine," Heather replied, circling her shoulder back as she squeezed it with one hand. "Where do you think that thing has taken Kate?"

"I don't know…" Charles replied, looking down into the crater where a brown hollowed out rocky shell lay. "It was a meteor, or at least something like that."

"Look at this – there's an egg on the screen!" Sonja called out, staring at the small device's screen which was now dim but she could still see a small egg pulsing up, then down, and the same to the sides. "It is like it's waiting to hatch."

"Mine's doing the same." Charles nodded in agreement. "This is getting weird now."

"Let's walk and talk though. If we hurry, we can catch up to those other people." Even by the time Heather said this, she was already far ahead of Charles and Sonja.

They exchanged a look, before laughing and running to catch up to their third member.

It took them a while to proceed much further out of the fallen tree valley, but as they went, the teamwork they showed flourished and grew. A hand extended meant more and more to them when it meant that they built on trust. The purple sky darkened like an indigo tinted night sky. Overhead, the stars began to appear, like a switch had been pressed.

"We should make a camp for the night…" Heather suggested, shivering a little at the breeze blowing through the valley. "It's getting cold now and I'm going to need to sleep sometime soon."

"Me too." Sonja smiled, surveying the area for something that could help provide a bed for the night. "I'll check the trees, see if there's a hollowed out one, or something like that."

"That's a great idea, come on Charles, let's see what we can find. Don't wander too far."

The three separated and searched the outskirts of the fallen trees in the hope of finding a bed for the night. It was dark and cold as they searched. The search lasted a while, with each one no closer to thinking anything was suitable to sleep on, in or by.

"Guys – over here!" Heather shouted, rushing towards where she could see Sonja. "There's a small cave I can see which might help."

Charles could hear the uncertainty in her voice, as if there was a problem. "But what's the catch, Heather?"

"It's a little climb up the mountainside," Heather replied, scuffing the ground with the toe of her boot.

"Well I found something that might be a little bit better…" Sonja said, unable to keep the smile off her face. "There's a hut, just around the valley. I could see the light in the distance, it doesn't look that far away, and I don't know if I have the strength or energy to climb up a mountain anytime soon."

"Sounds like we should check it out." Charles walked towards Sonja. "Lead on, Sonja."

"Okay!"

Sonja ran on ahead of the other two like an ecstatic child, desperate to get to this hut in the near distance. Whilst she was cautious about the fact that the hut was home to a dark force, it could be a safe haven against creatures like Chrysalimon. She raced down the hill towards the hut she could see. It was dimly lit through a small circular window, most likely by candlelight.

"Hey- Sonja, wait for us!" Heather called out. "Slow down!" Desperate to catch up to the younger girl, Heather broke out into a quick dash and just about managed to stop herself from tripping over her own feet from the boots she wore that were clearly not designed for running.

As the trio could closer, Heather pulled Sonja to one side, dipping down by a shrivelled bush.

"Let's wait a minute, just to check there isn't anyone in it." Heather looked around at the hut, unable to see the interior of it. "Just in case…"

"What's up guys?" Charles said, creeping up beside the girls hiding by the withered bush that showed him that the destruction extended beyond the valley of fallen trees.

"We just wanted to wait and check that there was no one or no thing inside."

Charles took a deep breath and looked up at the sky. He noticed something familiar about the constellations that twinkled overhead. Like he had seen it before… The stars that were light-years away from him.

"I know we're busy watching the hut, but do the stars look familiar to you?" he asked, feeling a little awkward about asking something at what might have been an inappropriate time.

Sonja was first to take her eyes off the hut, keen to look at something else. It took her a while before she understood what he meant. "Well, I think I get the same feeling. I can see the stars I recognise, but… as if they are reflected, like the reversed of what I used to see whenever I went camping. Heather, what do you think?"

Heather turned, blinking rapidly then shaking her head a little. "There's nothing inside, come on."

"Do you notice something about the stars here, Heather?" Sonja prompted a quick response as the other girl made her way to the hut, only for the question to be responded to by a cheerful laugh.

"Heather?" Charles followed her to the hut and froze when he caught a glimpse of what was inside the house. His jaw began to lower a little with shock, but a good shock. "We're not alone anymore guys, we've found them… Just like Kaitlyn promised we would."

Inside of the hut, were three children – the girl and two boys that they had seen before, adding what looked like a new skillset to the group in this new world.

Whilst Heather's hand hovered over the door handle, she had to take a step back when the door opened by itself, with no one standing on the other side. The three children stood up and turned to look at Heather, Charles and Sonja in the doorway.

"You don't know how pleased I am to see other people here!" the girl rushed forwards, leading the introductions and welcoming the three into the hut. "But first, there's some- you need to be spoken to…"

"What do you mean?" Charles asked, looking between the other three children.

Rather than say anything, the girl ushered them towards a cloth tapestry hanging on the wall. She pulled it back and revealed another room.

Sitting on a raised platform, was a large open book. Hovering above that book was a being which they assumed was another of these creatures, like the one they had seen earlier called Chrysalimon. It was draped in maroon and cream cloth which covered its body and left only its two piercing amber orbs to be seen, and the glove that were on its hands. Circling the being were two spheres, one a colour of crimson blood, the old of crystallised honey.

Sonja looked down at her device, hoping it would activate. She pressed a finger on the screen and it lit up.

" _Wisemon, an ultimate level Digimon known for appearing anywhere in time and space via the Book and being the holder of Space-time Stones that preserve events of the Digital World…"_ The voice cut off. "M _inimal data on this Digimon…"_

 _That's weird._ Sonja thought. _This thing had just as much information on that other thing it called a Digimon…_

"Children, I welcome you to the Digital World- I am Wisemon, guardian to all the Digidestined children. I believe I have something to show you. How you came to be called to this place. Now sleep."

Sonja felt herself lose all consciousness and fall back- the room rolled back as she drifted through the air and was caught by someone who lay her down on the ground.

Then, the visions came.

 **Thoughts from AspiringWriterGirl = So this is the first chapter of the story that was started by the moderators and members of the Digital Connections forum, so if you aren't a part of it yet, I welcome you to join it**


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I don't own the Digimon, but the characters belong to the moderators and members of the Digital Connections forum – found here forum/ Digital-Connections/ 22352/ and under the "So you want to be a Digidestined?" topic

A/N: Okay, this has been a really tricky story to get up off the ground so I'm sorry for the huge delay and for this probably really badly written chapter, sorry it's going to be a lot like an info dump

Special thank you to Miss Anonymous hp for her amazing notes and background that have really assisted in piecing together this chapter, so thank you

Without much more waiting, I give you, the next chapter!

 **Chapter 02**

When Heather's eyes opened, she was standing in front of a large stone castle. It was so magnificently built and had certainly stood the test of time and severe weather conditions. Large blocks of various dark shades that looked navy in the moonlight were interconnected with one another in complete uniformity to create the foundation of the building. Clusters of moss and lichen had sprouted on the cracks of the wall. Her two companions, Charles and Sonja, were standing either side of her also in awe of the building in front of them.

"Where are we?" Charles asked, turning his head to look around as if he would come across a brightly lit sign with an arrow pointing to the castle. "I don't get it- we were genuinely just in that hut with those other three… Then we saw that thing, that Digimon, no-"

"It's like an illusion, or perhaps a flashback," Sonja suggested, trying to move her feet and walk around, but she couldn't. She was rooted like a tree to the spot she stood. "I can't move!"

The same thought began to cross Heather's mind as she watched her boots, telling her feet to move but nothing happening.

 _Okay, stay calm Heather, this might just be a normal occurrence in this place. I hope_

"Open the gates!" a proud, booming voice called out from behind the children.

Drawn to that direction, the three twisted awkwardly to see what was coming their way. Another monstrous creature was thundering towards them without a care in the world that it might collide with them.

"Guys!" Sonja called out, grabbing a hold of one of her legs and trying to pull it up from the ground. "What now?"

"Hold on you two. I think you're right Sonja, what you said before. I think it's- this, it's crazy to say it, but I think this is all an illusion. A projection from the past or something," Charles said quickly, which made him stumble and falter with his words. "Look."

The almighty creature passed straight through Charles, sending a shiver down the young man's spine. Dirt was lifted into the air as the gate was opened, the wood digging its worn out grooves in the ground. Rather than trying to think of a reasonable explanation as to why he was there, Charles was stuck in a zone of sure amazement and intrigue towards the Digital Monster that had just passed through him. Originally he had hoped that the device around his neck would tell him more about the knight like being that had gone into the castle, but no voice emanated from device that hung from the leather string around his neck.

"We need to see what's going on!" Charles exclaimed, pleading with all his might that he would see where that Digimon had gone.

In the blink of an eye, the three then stood at the head of a long hall. Twelve banners flapped about overhead with giant intricate symbols on them. Another Digimon blocked their view of the hall, but the voice of the knight like Digimon that they had only seen not moments ago echoed out across the room.

"Omegamon, the time to make a stand is now! The mole in our midst is still at large. Something must be done. I left Craniamon in charge of the Southern hemisphere so I trust that everything will be safe there."

The Digimon standing in front of the three children, Omegamon, walked towards the guest in his castle. "Alphamon, you worry far too much… Come, let us walk," Omegamon replied, striking out a glass door that was to the right hand side of the room.

As Heather blinked, she and her two companions were moved to yet another location. This time, it was a small balcony that the two knight Digimon stood at either side of. An intricate silver fence was all that stopped Alphamon and Omegamon from falling into a dark and deep chasm below the castle. It was as if the castle hovered above a valley where the only way to assess it would be from the narrow rocky pathway that spiralled around the castle with the chasm locked in between them.

 _This is impossible, everything about this just defies the laws of gravity,_ Heather thought to herself, leaning forwards to look over the edge of the fence. Her hand nearly slapped itself to her face as she tried to contemplate what was going on and how it was all possible.

"Alphamon – the Digital World was entrusted to the Digimon Sovereign Huanglongmon before the devastation began forcing him into hiding. No one has heard or seen of Huanglongmon in decades. The Twelve DIgimon Knights that we are were left to decide who would be in charge of the Northern and Southern Hemisphere of the Digital World. It was our fellow Knights who decided it would be you that governed the South and I would govern the North. This land you see here, this land is safe right now-"

"But the Southern Hemisphere isn't safe…" Alphamon told Omegamon that a mole had come to light and that it would only be a matter of time before the darkness engulfs the whole of their home. The mole had already alerted the darkness of the location of Alphamon's castle – an underground, underwater castle that only the knights knew the location of. Knights of the Southern Hemisphere had managed to ward off a herd of a pitiful Minotarumon and that forced the head of the South to head North to inform Omegamon of the attack.

After what Alphamon had to say, Omegamon looked up a little, scanning the vast horizon. "What about Crusadermon?"

"I- I, Omegamon. I had to do what I did. She was the one that leaked news of my base's whereabouts- there is no other explanation, with the evidence that Gallantmon and Craniamon found, it was hard for me not to exile Crusadermon. Whilst my actions were not agreed with, I must live with what I have done. It is likely that Crusadermon has gone down into the graveyard below – to the Labyrinth."

"If that is true, then I feel Crusadermon may be lost to us forever… I have never heard of someone return from the Labyrinth, at least not with a sane mind."

"You mean that one Goblimon, don't you?"

Omegamon nodded.

 _Hi Heather…_

Heather noticed that there was a hint of shame and sadness in Omegamon's voice, it was as if there had been a failed mission. "What do you think happened after this- how did it get so bad? It's like this place isn't the same place that we were in not an hour ago…"

"I think we're about to find out," Sonya whispered, listening into the conversation going on between the two Digimon Knights – she was sure she heard them speak of some guardians that would be sent forth to save the Digital World from total destruction. "Do you think that they're talking about us?" It was the first thing that came to mind, and that was a thought that terrified her. She was just one person, so to think of herself being able to save a world, it was terrifying and made her hands shake a little.

"No, it can't be us. We can't save this world – what can we do to help…" Charles waved his hand a little. "I think there's something really big missing from this story. Whatever it is, I really hope that it can get us home because this place is really starting to get to me. "You okay, Heather?" he asked, glancing over at his companion who looked even paler than usual.

Right now, the older girl was hearing a quiet voice in her ear. A soft, but gentle voice that was full of curiosity and sounded keen to learn. Though there was clearly no one there that had a voice like that, Heather knew she wasn't hearing things. And she didn't want to say anything, because nobody likes someone they've just met to tell them that they're hearing voices.

 _Heather – can you hear me?_

It had been speaking to her since this vision sequence occurred, but Heather couldn't ignore it now.

"Can you hear that?" she asked the other two, but they murmured that no one was talking, not even Alphamon or Omegamon were talking now. "I can definitely hear a voice, talking to me. Maybe it's just a figment of this place or something…"

"Possibly," Sonja replied, reaching out for Heather's pale and fragile hand. "Don't worry, I believe you."

The world around them began to dissolve like it was a basic computer's screensaver that was disintegrating into thousands of little pixels. Even the floor that their feet were rooted to slowly vanished, letting them falling through a dark abyss where there was not thought of being safe.

"Hey, come on, wake up… Wake up-"

Sonja stirred a little as she was beginning to wake up. A short sigh escaped her lips and her eyes flickered open. "What was that?" she asked, looking between the other three that were in the hut that Wisemon was in. "How did that happen?"

"You had to be shown how he Digital World became such a devastated land." The Digimon named Wisemon blinked at the children. "You are the guardians that the knights sent for. Together, you are going to save the world we Digimon live in."

"Well that might be difficult…" Heather added, dusting herself off as she got up. "Well, Charles came to this place with another girl, her name was Kaitlyn, or Kate as she liked to be called I think. She got, and I don't know the right word for it, but she was kidnapped by another Digimon called, called…" Heather paused, and just couldn't remember what the name of the Digimon. She tried to remember the device around her neck telling her what the Digimon was named, but failed miserably.

"Chrysalimon. It was called Chrysalimon." Charles interrupted, smiling a little to take the edge off the situation. "That's what the device said, but we need to think about our next move. Wisemon, what do we need to do now?"

"Now, the six of you must travel to one of the castles that you saw in the visions I showed you. There, you will set about reuniting the Royal Knights. With their help, you may be able to unlock a power great enough to vanquish the evil that has plagued this land. However, with the divide created by exiling Crusadermon who Omegamon and Alphamon believed was the mole giving information to the darkness, that task will be a difficult one. I have faith, confidence and belief in you that you will do what needs to be done."

Sonja wasn't quite so sure about all the riddles that Wisemon was using and decided to bite the bullet. "How will we bring Crusadermon back?"

"You have to make a choice… To take the path to the highest point in the lowest times."

Heather looked towards the other three who were in the hut with Wisemon and her two new friends. She walked towards the girl of the three. "I believe an introduction would help the situation a little, don't you? I'm Heather, this is Charles and this is Sonja."

The other girl held her hand out. "It's nice to meet you, I'm Akiza- maybe it might be worth making a plan to help reunite all the Royal Knights."

Heather smiled and nodded. "I think that would be a great idea, what plan have you thought of?"

"Well… I was kind of debating whether we should split up. Me, Jake and Chris could go to the Southern Hemisphere and find Alphamon's castle and you, Charles and Sonja could go north to Omegamon's castle. Or we could go to one place together… I'm not sure, but it would certainly help if we knew more about this place." Akiza glanced over at Wisemon before sighing.

One of the boys, who had brown eyes and hair shrugged. "That Digimon, Wisemon, it didn't help us out that much and he just sort of zones out completely so we can't ask any questions even if we wanted."

Sonja tilted her head to one side and tried to wonder whether or not to ask the boy's their names, or to wait for them to introduce themselves. She smiled at them in order to appear more welcoming.

 _I don't know how long we're going to be here, but if we have to be here for a while, then I think we ought to try and get along with one another,_ the youngest thought, twiddling one of the rings on her finger.

"I'm Christopher, most of my friends just call me Chris."

Sonja's wrinkled her nose a little, "You looked more like a James to me…"

"Well my middle name is James, so I suppose you're kind of right," Chris laughed calmly, looking out the window to side of the hut. "I think something's coming…"

"What?" Sonja squeaked, running over to the window beside Chris. "What if it's the bad guys? What if Chrysalimon just killed Kate and wants to murder us all?"

"Calm down, Sonja – it's probably just nothing…" Heather said, patting the other girl's shoulder in an attempt to relax her. "Charles, blow out the lantern- we need to eliminate all light sources whilst it passes."

"Got it, Heather," Charles whispered, doing what he was told.

The six waited in total darkness and complete silence, waiting to see whether the thing outside would pass them by, or if it would come knocking.

"I think it's gone," Charles said, breaking the silence.

Chris and Sonja dropped to the floor as a silhouette appeared at the door – breathing heavily from the shock and trying to calm themselves and not kick up a fuss.

No one said anything for a long time.

"You are safe now, children…" Wisemon woke up, blinking at the six who started to nervously laugh amongst themselves. "But one other child is in great danger."

Chrysalimon carried Kaitlyn through a long sewer like tunnel. The girl saw green moss clinging to the walls and a suspicious liquid below her dangling feet. She had given up struggling against the cables that were fastened around her body.

The Digimon that had kidnapped her said nothing, and had a dark aura about it. As Chrysalimon progressed along the tunnel, a smell wafted up Kaitlyn's nose making her gag a little. She had never smelt anything so bad in all her life.

"Put me down!" Kaitlyn screeched, finding a little more energy to fight against the cables.

"Shock Ringer!" a deep and booming voice called out.

Out of the corner of her eye, Kaitlyn noticed a weird and psychedelic looking ring shot through the air and hit the wall just in front of Chrysalimon. Her captor released her in the aftermath of the attack.

There was a small splash as she hit the water and kicked out to take above the liquid – it just wasn't pure water… The current was fast moving as it swept Kaitlyn away. As her eyes adjusted to look ahead of her, she saw a drop at the end of the tunnel. In an attempt to get away, she kicked out and tried to desperately swim towards the path at the side of the tunnel.

Kaitlyn screamed out for help, but no one came to her rescue.

Just as she was thrown out of the tunnel shoot, a metallic hand grabbed her leg. The grip burnt on her skin from the quick momentum she had built up.

"What a pitiful excuse for a child who claims she is a Digidestined…" the deep voice called out over the sound of the rushing sewage. "Especially when she doesn't even have a Digimon partner. A sad excuse for a Digidestined child, but you're lucky I have found you. Because now you are safe and I will look out for you."

"Put me down!" Kaitlyn squeaked, dripping wet. "Are you listening? I said put me down!"

The large Digimon dropped her and towered over her. "I am Craniamon… You are probably expected in the Circuit Labyrinth."

"The Circuit Labyrinth – where is that?" Kaitlyn asked, wringing her dress and hair out before adjusting her shorts. "Craniamon?"

The device around Kaitlyn's neck lit up and showed an image of the Digimon in front of her, turning on a pedestal. A calm and peaceful voice emanated from her device, just like it had done when she met Chrysalimon.

" _Craniamon, a mega form of Guardromon. This Digiomn is a part of the legion known as the Royal Knights and wields a large shield called the Omni Shield."_

"Royal Knights – what are you? The legend of King Arthur?" Kaitlyn snorted, unable to stop herself from laughing. This was something she had inherited from her mother. Whenever the mother and daughter was nervous, or found themselves in hysterical laughing, they would do a little pig snort. "Really?"

"You should not joke about the Royal Knights…" Craniamon held his hand out to the wall which dissolved away in a flurry of pixels. "Right this way, after yourself."

Kaitlyn thought nothing of it and proceeded to walk through the dark passageway that Craniamon had unearthed for her. "Thank you," she replied politely.

Just as Kaitlyn passed the Digimon, Craniamon shouted out to her to stop, she turned around and saw Craniamon reaching out for her. Then the floor opened up and swallowed her whole.

It all went dark, totally dark.

Green light, a little green light dared about, trying to show Kaitlyn the different directions she could take. For now, she was trapped in a maze. She thought that this might have been the Circuit Labyrinth that Craniamon had mentioned, but the way Craniamon spoke about it, it sounded more positive.

"Hello?" she called out quietly. "Is anyone there?"

 **Thoughts from AspiringWriterGirl = Hit me with it- such an info dump and I'm really sorry to not have fleshed out more of the other characters but I want to move the pace a little because sometimes my pacing is very slow – let me know if it still is though! :S**


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I don't own the Digimon, but the characters belong to the moderators and members of the Digital Connections forum – found here forum/ Digital-Connections/ 22352/ and under the "So you want to be a Digidestined?" topic

A/N: It's been a long time since I uploaded a chapter, so here it is! I apologise for the predominance of Kate in this character – after all, it is much easier to write a character based on myself!

Special thank you to Miss Anonymous hp for her amazing notes and background that have really assisted in piecing together this chapter, so thank you

Without much more waiting, I give you, the next chapter!

 **Chapter 03**

Heather watched Jake sitting by himself, staring out the window. She felt the need to go and talk to him. "Do you want to talk about it?" she asked, even though she wasn't sure if there was a conversation to be had, a question would at least instigate one. "Jake?"

"What? Oh, Heather, sorry. I'm just thinking about what we're going to do next. What lies ahead for this rag tag bunch that come from all over the world. From America, Canada, England and even Australia…" Jake lifted one hand to his forehead. "Then there's the vision from Wisemon. Wisemon told Akiza, Chris and I that there were going to eventually be twelve teens that would end up coming to the Digital World. From what you've told me, there's the six of us and this other girl – called Kate, or Kat – so that makes seven of us. It's just that, Wisemon told us that there were five other teens out there waiting for us. Or looking for us."

"I wonder what they're like," Heather replied, smiling. "But you don't need to worry, because we'll get to the bottom of it soon. I guess I'm more worried about how we're going to get home." She then lifted up her Digivice. "I'm a little curious about what this egg on the screen means too. Whether it's going to hatch or not."

Jake looked down at his own Digivice. "Yeah, I guess so too."

Charles called out to Heather, "What's the plan, Heather? We should really get out of here before anything happens."

"That sounds like a good idea." Heather nodded in agreement. "What do you think, Sonja?"

Sonja was startled to be asked and smiled back at the older girl. "Oh of course- we shouldn't stay anywhere for too long. From what Wisemon said, there are dark forces who will be looking to take us out. And I don't know about you guys, but that's not something that I want to happen. Right?" Sonja looked over at the other teenagers.

After some further discussion and strong deliberation, it was decided that they would leave the hut – Wisemon insisted on staying behind in case the remaining five turned up in their current region of the Digital world.

On their way out of the hut, one of the group was still a little unsure. Akiza was uneasy and couldn't help but think about how bad an idea it was for them to leave the hut without a food source, or form of shelter – but since she had come to the Digital World, she hadn't really ever felt hungry. Part of her just longed for her favourite meal. It seemed that the more she thought about food, the more that she ended up wanting it.

The want turned into hunger a little.

As she shook her head, she noticed that the butterfly clip in her dark brown hair was slipping and stopped to reposition it. Fortunately the clip was only holding back only a small bundle of hair that wasn't quite long enough to seal in her bun. She then wondered whether anyone would notice that she had stopped walking. After all, she had been walking at the back of the group.

"Are you alright, Akiza?"

Akiza looked up to see Heather smiling at her from a little further ahead. "Oh, yeah, just sorting out my hair- nothing too special." She quickened her pace to catch up and started to walk with Heather. "So what's it like where you're from? From your accent, I want to say America, or maybe Canada?"

Heather smiled, "I'm from Canada- Toronto to be precise. I think it is one of the few places in Canada that people who aren't from Canada know of! What about you?"

"From Australia, but I have family in the Philippines-" Akiza replied, but she stopped mid-sentence. It was the first time that she had actually thought about her family. She missed them. Without them around, she felt like something was missing from inside of her.

"Akiza?" Heather put a hand on the other girl's shoulder. "Are you okay?"

"I think I'm just a little bit cold, I suppose…" She sniffed, rubbing her slightly dripping nose because of the particularly cold temperature of this part of the Digital World. As she looked ahead of the group, she could see something moving. Moving through the air. "Can you see that?"

"What? Where?" Heather squinted at the horizon, searching for what it was that the other girl had seen. "I don't really see anything."

"It's gone behind the clouds…"

Heather was first to react, she quickly ran towards the others. "We need to get out of the open and head to somewhere a little more secluded… Quick!"

Charles and Sonja turned to look at Heather with expressions on their faces that asked for more information.

"There's something that has been circling around overhead, and I'm worried it might be another Chrysalimon. Part of me doesn't want to lose another friend." Heather pointed up the cliff to their left at a small cave in the rocks. "We can climb up there."

The others looked a little apprehensive at the steep rock face, but agreed that it was for the best. As they tried to find the easiest route up to the cave, the three guys helped the girls – pointing out loose rocks or tricky points.

Sidling along a ledge that was no more than a thirty centimetre ruler long, Sonja could feel her heart racing and negative thoughts fighting to get out.

 _What if I slip? What if one of us falls? What if when we get to the cave, it's home to something even darker? I feel like I'm going to die…_

She felt trapped between Heather and Charles – unable to get away from the dangerous situation she had found herself in. As her head turned to see Charles, she could see that he was also in a similar position to her.

"Charles?" she said calmly, wondering what response she might get.

"Yeah?" Charles tilted his head up to the dark and grey sky.

"You okay?" Sonja reached out her hand that was already flat against the rock and grazed his fingers. Though she didn't want to at this moment in time, she felt like strengthening the bond. "I'm scared too…"

"Heights just aren't my thing," Charles said, hanging his head in shame. His head jerked as his eyes focused past his feet and if he could have shrunken any further into the wall, then he would have been inside the cliff.

Sonja carried on shuffling away, before realising that the distance between herself and Charles was growing. "Charles…"

"I can't move. This is too much." He was frozen to the spot, unable to move at all.

By now, Chris, Heather and Akiza were already at the cave, watching from the mouth.

Sonja was close to the cave and all she wanted to do was leap towards the cave, but she couldn't bring herself to just abandon Charles like that.

Jake was on Charles' other side and didn't have a clue what to say to in this situation. He wasn't used to this- because he had overcome so many phobias by himself and not been through any kind of pep talk.

Until Jake saw a creature flying across the sky – even closer than when Akiza saw it. "I hate to force this on you, but there is a little bit of urgency in the air…"

"Knock it off, Jake…" Charles gritted his teeth, and then his gaze met the Chrysalimon – and like the first time he saw the Digimon, a flurry of worry surged across his body and mind. "Oh god."

"Why? What's that?" Jake lifted the Digivice up from around his neck. "Chrysalimon – that's the Digimon that took Kate, right?"

"Yeah-" Charles mumbled.

Heather called out to the two boys, beckoning them over. "Come on Charles, you can do it!"

Jake knew deep down that it was going to be difficult for Charles to move, so he started shuffling the other way – much to the dismay of the others who called out for him to come back. Scrambling along the cliff face, he was forced to stop when a black cable shot out and hit the cliff face, only an inch to the side of his face. His breathing quickened drastically.

"Woah- that's a little too close for comfort…" he mumbled, ducking under the cable as the Chrysalimon struggled to free itself.

As Jake turned to look over his shoulder, he saw the Digimon's attention avert to Charles.

"Hey- over here!" Jake called out loudly, but the Chrysalimon didn't move.

The distance between the Digimon and a slowly moving Charles was getting shorter and the urgency was at its peak. Heather and Sonja ushered the others into the cave before calling out for Charles to keep going.

Jake crouched down and dropped onto the ledge below him which was a lot wider. There, he was able to pick up some loose rocks to throw at Chrysalimon.

"Hey- over here, Chrysalimon!" Jake yelled, throwing as many of the rocks in a consecutive manner. "Come and get me!"

Chrysalimon swung around to face Jake and then he realised that he had to get out of their now. Before the Digimon could attack, Jake make his way down the cliff side, scrapping his hands and knees, ripping the clothes he was wearing.

"Data Crusher!" Chrysalimon bellowed and the black cables shot out and wound themselves around Jake.

He struggled and writhed in pain as the cables tightened around him. "Stay there!" Jake shouted to the others who looked like they were about to leap into action and save him.

"Maybe I can find Kate – or other kids… Find the others!"

The Digimon yanked Jake away rapidly, soaring away from the cave and his companions.

 _Wake up, Kate…_

Kate's blue eyes opened and looked up ahead of her. This was the Circuit Labyrinth… It was cold and empty, apart from black walls either side of her. She had called out to anyone so many times that she had given up calling again and forced herself to start walking. Her shoes scuffed the floor as she walked along the corridor. The walls of the Labyrinth were solid, but there was a green light pulsating along the bottom. It looked as though it was lighting up the way for Kate, but the more she followed the random green lights, the more lost she felt.

Until she was sure that she felt something following her. Chasing her.

Kate's heart raced and she started to run through the labyrinth for fear of finding another creature like Chrysalimon. That was her first thoughts, but with all the running, she barely had time to focus on the turns she had made – let alone the way she was going.

The corner she told herself that once she had turned, she would rest, was one that caused her to fall to the floor.

"Hey! What was that for?" a voice asked her.

It took Kaitlyn a while to say something, she was completely shocked by the fact that she had run into another person in the Circuit Labyrinth.

"Who- what? How are- no, who are you?" Kate threw a series of questions at the boy who was slowly getting up to his feet.

The boy rubbed his head. "I'm- Jake. Jake Smith… You must have been running really fast, because my head is killing…"

Kate awkwardly shuffled about, feeling bad for causing an injury. "Okay, I'm- I'm Kaitlyn, but everyone here seems to call me Kate. I don't mind what you choose. So how did you end up here?" She seemed to settle when she realised that there was no movement behind them.

"You're Kate – the others are looking for you... Wow, I know I joked about finding you when the Chrysalimon got me, but I never for a moment thought that I would find you here so quickly. Not that I even know where here is."

Kate turned to look over her shoulder. "Well a royal knight called Craniamon mentioned something about the Circuit Labyrinth. At least we know that we're definitely somewhere in the Digital World… At least that is what me and the others discovered from this device here."

"You mean Heather, Sonja and Charles, right?" Jake looked at the device around Kate's neck. "Yeah – I've got one too. How did you get yours?"

"This? Well it appeared to me and the others- Heather, Sonja and Charles – but I don't really know many of the details, I'm afraid." Kate scratched her head, wondering why she didn't know many of the details. "Which sounds worse than it is."

"I don't know about that. Well, I was hoping to find a way out of here but-"

A tremendous roar rumbled through the labyrinth and startled Kate, she knew that they were going to be running again.

"That doesn't sound good…" she murmured.

Jake felt as though he had to take action and instinctively grabbed the girl's hand and pulled her away along the corridor. "It's the thrill of the chase. Can you feel your heart going?"

"Sure, but- I'm struggling to keep up!" Kate panted, unable to complete the simple sentence in one breath.

Suddenly, the wall ahead of them exploded, causing large black building blocks to be thrown across the corridor just in front of the pair. She squeezed Jake's hand and froze when they saw a gigantic Digimon come into sight out of the gap in the wall.

"It's a minotaur…" Jake whispered. "Just like the story."

Then it was Kate's turn to pull Jake away, she pulled him away by the wrist and away from the Minotaur. She remembered reading about Theseus, Ariadne and the Minotaur in History classes and with this knowledge, she didn't want to hang about. But both she and Jake were exhausted.

"Earthquake Drill!" a strong, booming voice shouted.

The ground began to shake greatly and the ceiling started to crack – everything was about to cave in on Kate and Jake, and there was nothing they could do about it.

"Keep running!" Jake urged her on, sensing that the girl was close to giving up.

With Jake's encouragement, Kate found some extra strength and on the next turn, she saw a tall, rectangular shaped light at the end.

 _A way out of this god forsaken place!_

A slab of ceiling dropped down in front of Jake, narrowly missing Kate who was now somehow managing to sprint to the door – adrenaline pumping in her body. Jake jumped over the fallen slab, clutching his side which was already aching.

"Bull Fighting Attack!" the Digimon called out, turning onto the same corridor that the pair was running along. There was a whirling sound of the Digimon's weapon as it absorbed energy from the atmosphere.

Kate squealed as she got the 'door' that she hoped would lead out of the labyrinth. Placing her hands on it quickly, she pushed against the door until it suddenly disappeared. Without even stopping, Jake crashed into her and they both toppled over the edge, falling through the darkness.

The pair screamed out as they fell – gravity dragging them down.

"Stop!" Kate squealed, blinking rapidly as her clothes and hair rippled in the wind. "Why aren't we stopping?"

Jake struggled to reply, but his eyes grew wide when he saw the ground – they were heading towards it so quickly that he braced himself for imminent pain. His arms went up to shield his face. In the last moments, he debated whether it would be safer to land on his front, as opposed to his back. Through the thoughts rushing about his mind, Jake didn't even realise that he was hovering about the ground, inches from it.

"Woah."

"You're telling me…" Kate said, breathing heavily.

" _Oh hello children – what a delight to find you here, in my humble abode. This really is an honour. But first, allow me to introduce myself to you…"_

Jake and Kate were lowered onto their feet as the Digimon that spoke to the from the shadows came out into view. It pressed a button on a handheld device and the room was lit up in a bright white.

The pair were standing in a circular white room where there were control panels and brightly coloured lights accompanying them. It was like a geek's den in Kate's eyes. To Jake, it was amazing.

"I am Datamon- guardian of the Circuit Labyrinth. You are two of the Digidestined children and you are searching for your Digital-Eggs, are you not?"

Kate was a little bit confused. "What's a Digital-Egg? Is it to do with the egg I can see on the screen of my Digivice?" She held up the Digivice and looked at the small square screen. "It's been something that's bothering me recently…"

Jake pulled Kate back, away from Datamon as he thought it was all too convenient. He wondered what Datamon would want with the egg. There was no way of knowing whether or not Datamon was their friend or not. Deep down, he had hoped that there was an easy way out of this situation.

Datamon lurched forwards and snatched the Digivice from around Kate's neck. "This will do nicely in addition to my collection. Now, I have two Digital devices from the Digidestined. Maybe now, I can find a way to create a new bridge between this world and yours. Take your world for mine."

"That's mine!" Kate squealed, reaching out for the Digivice Datamon held. She was desperate to get it back, knowing that somehow it was very important to get her and the others back home. "You have to give that back to me, please!"

A cackle escaped from Datamon's mouth. "No a chance, Miss Prescott. I'm putting this someplace safe. Somewhere where you won't find it… It was only a matter of time before another child appeared to me. Mr Villarama thought he could be smart about it, but he was wrong."

Kate was a little uncertain at this point. _Datamon knew my surname, Prescott… Mr Villarama – that's another surname. He must be another teen who's been transported here._

Jake pulled Kate back. "Then let's make a deal- in exchange for the Devices, both of them." He smirked a little, wondering whether Datamon would accept. "If I win, then I take my friend's device back, and the one you already have. If I lose, then you can keep them and take mine too."

The girl's eyes grew wide at Jake's bargain and she knew that the devices were important. They were important somehow – she just knew they were. She gripped his arm, pleading him not to do it. When Kate looked at Jake, he seemed unphased and ready for the challenge. "I hope you know what you're doing…" Kate mumbled, stepping back away from Jake.

Datamon's robotic arms folded. "A worthy bargain, a deal has been met."

"Jake, don't – we might lose all of the devices…" Kate protested, her eyes darting between Jake, Datamon and the devices. She then thought about how she was coming across and took a step back from the situation. She began to wonder where this Mr Villarama guy was.

He simply shook his hand at her. "Name your game, Datamon." Jake folded his arms slowly.

"You have to defeat the Minotarumon that roams the labyrinth." Datamon grinned, knowing that this must be an impossible task for a pair of teens.

 **Thoughts from AspiringWriterGirl = SURPRISE! I've finally finished another chapter and holy moly, that was a long process (not help by the fact that I lost half of the first draft when my laptop ran out of power!)**


End file.
